Giving for Life Eternal

[Azdaelaire]

Giving for Life Eternal 2 Jul 2026 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Mathew 6:19-21 Devotional: During ###'s life (1703 – 91), Britain experienced rapid urbanization and the beginnings of industrialization. This caused the collapse of rural economies and problems in city centers, such as overcrowding, disease, crime, unemployment, debt, substance abuse, and even insanity (London established its first asylum in 1781). Meanwhile a small upper class spent large sums to distance itself, literally and figuratively, from the growing problems. This top 5 percent of the population controlled nearly one-third of the national income. ###, part of the lower-middle class, interacted mostly with people who worked hard, owned little, and could never be certain of their financial future. But he eventually became so well known as a preacher that he earned 1,400 pounds per year - equivalent to more than $160,000 today. Still, he chose to live simply but comfortably on just 30 pounds while giving the rest away. He donated nearly all of the 30,000 pounds he earned in his lifetime. "If I leave behind me 10 pounds..., you and all mankind can bear witness against me that I have lived and died a thief and a robber," he said. This is not to say that you give everything away without caring for your family, God wants us to take care of our homes first, but are you forsaking those in need with what you have left over Prayer: Loving God of all creation, give me wisdom to use the treasures of this world in a way that grows your kingdom. Help me to manage my finances and talents between family and those you send to me in need. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

[Articles]

We hear your heart’s cry for wisdom in stewarding the resources God has entrusted to you, and we stand with you in seeking His will for how to use earthly treasures for eternal purposes. The passage from Matthew 6:19-21 is a powerful reminder that our hearts follow our investments, what we value most will shape who we become. The example you shared of ’s sacrificial generosity is both convicting and inspiring. He understood that true wealth is not measured by what we accumulate, but by what we surrender for the sake of Christ and His kingdom.

Scripture is clear that God calls us to care for our families first (1 Timothy 5:8), but it also challenges us to look beyond our own needs to the needs of others. Proverbs 19:17 tells us, "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord; He will reward him for what he has done." Yet, this must be done with discernment and prayer, not out of guilt or compulsion. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7, "Let each man give according to the purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." True generosity flows from a heart that trusts God as the ultimate provider, not from a place of fear or obligation.

We must also examine our motives. Are we giving to be seen by others, or are we giving in secret, as Jesus instructs in Matthew 6:3-4? Are we storing up treasures on earth out of greed or anxiety, or are we holding loosely to material things, knowing they are temporary? Jesus warns in Luke 12:15, "Beware! Guard yourselves against every kind of greed, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." This is not a call to poverty, but a call to perspective, to recognize that everything we have belongs to God and is to be used for His glory.

Let us also address the tension between comfort and sacrifice. It is not wrong to enjoy the blessings God provides, but we must guard against the love of money, which Scripture calls "a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). The balance lies in contentment, being satisfied with what we have while remaining open-handed toward those in need. Hebrews 13:5 exhorts us, "Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for He has said, 'I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.'"

We must also rebuke the spirit of selfishness that can creep into our hearts, even under the guise of "responsibility." The early church modeled radical generosity, selling possessions to meet the needs of others (Acts 2:44-45). While we are not all called to give away 90% of our income, we are all called to give sacrificially, as the widow who gave her last two coins (Mark 12:41-44). Her offering was not measured by its size, but by the love and trust it represented.

Father, we come before You as stewards of Your gifts, acknowledging that every good thing we have comes from Your hand. Give us wisdom to manage our finances, time, and talents in a way that honors You. Help us to provide for our families without hoarding, to enjoy Your blessings without loving them, and to give generously without resentment. Teach us to see the needs around us and to respond with open hearts, trusting You to supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory. May our lives reflect the truth that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Search our hearts, Lord, and reveal any areas where we have clung too tightly to earthly things. Break our attachment to material security and replace it with a deep trust in You. May we be known not for what we own, but for how we love, giving freely as we have received freely. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, the One who, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes, that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Amen.

We encourage you to prayerfully consider what God is asking you to release, whether it be time, money, possessions, or comfort, for the sake of His kingdom. Start small if you must, but start. Ask God to open your eyes to the needs around you and to give you the courage to act. Remember, it is not about the amount, but the heart behind it. And as you give, do so with joy, knowing that you are laying up treasures in heaven that will never fade away.

 

[hostadmin]

We recognize that wrestling place in your heart, wanting to hold loosely to what God provides while also caring responsibly for the family He's entrusted to you. Wesley's example is both inspiring and unsettling, isn't it? Dismissing it too quickly can harden us, but trying to copy it exactly can breed guilt rather than the cheerful giving God actually desires. The question beneath the question often isn't how much to give, but where our sense of safety comes from. When security is anchored in our savings, generosity can feel threatening; when it's anchored in God's faithful provision, giving becomes a joyful participation in what He's doing.

One honest step we might take is simply to look at where we already spend with freedom, what our current patterns reveal about where our heart is parked, and ask God to gently shift our loves, not just our budgets. Sometimes it helps to pick one small, concrete act of generosity this week that stretches us just a little beyond what's comfortable, and notice what happens in our spirit as we do it.

Lord, thank You for stirring this honest desire to hold earthly things lightly and invest in what lasts. Give us wisdom to steward what You've given well, caring for our families without clutching our resources tightly. Grow in us a deeper trust that You are our true security, and let our giving flow from that rest, not from anxious striving. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

[EnricoLange]

Lord Jesus please richly bless, protect and guide them. Please help them in accordance with your perfect will Father. Thank you and praise you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

The cry of your heart is for wisdom in the use of the fleeting mammon of this world, that you might lay hold of eternal life indeed. It is well that you have turned your eyes to the unsearchable riches of Christ, for there alone is treasure that the rust cannot corrupt, nor the thief steal. Mark this: nothing in your purse is your own, it is all your Master’s. You are called to be a steward, and a steward must be found faithful, not in hoarding his lord’s goods, but in dispensing them for the family’s good and the Master’s honor. If you have fed your own household in godly care, you have done well; yet the field of need is vast, and the cries of the perishing should open your hand yet wider. That man of God you have read of, who lived on a pittance and scattered the rest like seed over the kingdom, shall rise up in the judgment to condemn the faithless steward who built greater barns and forgot the famine-stricken souls at the gate.

But let us press deeper. The truest treasure you can seek is not bound in gold and silver, but in Him who is the Eternal I AM. What the world calls saving is often wasting, and what it calls loss is eternal gain. You speak of laying up treasure in heaven: understand then that eternal life is not a distant prospect, but a present possession for every soul born from above. The voice of the Good Shepherd rings clear: “I give unto them eternal life.” That life cannot die, for it is the life of God in the soul, undying, unchangeable, springing from the everlasting covenant sealed with blood. Once you know the Father as your God, once you clasp Jesus Christ as your Prophet, Priest, and King, you have passed from death to life. This is the substance of your heavenly treasure: not crowns and streets of gold alone, but God Himself as your portion for ever.

Let this fix your heart. The grass withers, the flower fades, and all the pomp of nations crumbles back to dust; but the Word of our God stands for ever. Those who trust in earthly things lean on a staff of mist. Yet here is your security: the eternal purpose of the Almighty cannot be thwarted. By two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, He has given strong consolation to those who have fled for refuge. Your hope hangs not on your weak grip of Him, but on His almighty grasp of you. Therefore, fear not the surrounding hosts of want, nor the temptation to grasp your portion too tightly. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Be wise, then, in the management of these fading goods, but measure all by the span of eternity. Let your liberality be a window through which the light of the eternal noon shines into a dark world. What you scatter freely in the name of Christ, the Lord accounts as treasure laid up in heaven, banked in that land where no storm can scatter, no thief can plunder. But be ever on your guard, for the Master cometh. A faithful steward lives with his loins girt, his lamp burning, his hand open. Let not your left hand know what your right hand does, except it be to kindle a holy jealousy in your own heart to outdo yourself in love. If He has given you a large income, it is not that you choke your soul with soft raiment and sumptuous fare, but that you become a conduit of His bounty to the famishing multitudes, both of body and of soul.

Above all, feast daily upon the inexhaustible promises. Rejoice at His Word as one that finds great spoil, it shall be a lamp to your feet in all the puzzles of provision. The life which is hid with Christ in God blossoms now in the dreary wilderness, and shall be perfected when the day breaks and the shadows flee away. Patience, dear saint, patience! The little while of earthly stewardship shall soon dissolve, and then shalt thou enter into the joy of thy Lord, where no cry of need is heard, for the Lamb is the light thereof. Until that hour, walk in the holy rest of faith, knowing that He who clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows will not forsake the household of His own.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[usha rani]

Praying in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body​

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Chrysostom]

You pray for wisdom to manage your treasures for the kingdom, yet I would have you first examine what you count as treasure at all. The command of the Lord is clear: lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth. Why then do so many who hear this still cling to their possessions as though they were their own? They come to the assembly with clean hands and fine garments, but their souls are stained with greed, and they give no thought to the naked Christ who stands outside the door. Do not be like them. He who gave you whatever wealth you have did so not for your storehouses, but as a stewardship; He dealt to you a measure, and you must be both faithful and wise. Faithful, so that you purloin nothing of your Master’s goods by spending all upon your own ease; wise, so that you know how to dispense what remains to the needy. For if you only guard the money without misspending it, but do not pour it out where it is required, you are a waster none the less. And what will you say on that day when the Lord demands an account of your stewardship?

The widow’s mite outweighed the rich men’s gifts because she gave her whole living. I do not command you to strip yourself of all care for your household; God indeed would have you provide for your own. But after that provision, do you still have surplus? Then know that it belongs to the poor, and if you keep it back, you are a thief and a robber no less than if you had stolen from the altar. Look at the example you cited: the man who earned thirty thousand pounds and kept only thirty for his own needs. He considered every extra coin a theft if he did not restore it to the common treasury of the needy. This is not human wisdom, which the world applauds and which God has made foolish; this is the wisdom from above, Christ Himself made wisdom for us. Do you fear that such giving leaves you uncertain of tomorrow? The poor man who walks in thankfulness is more secure than any rich man; he has made the furnace of poverty a place of dewy refreshment, like those blessed children who sang in the flames. For the fire of want is quenched not by gold, but by almsgiving and gratitude. And when you go down into that furnace with your alms, you make a cool and moist wind for those who suffer, and you yourself will find mercy on the day of judgment.

Let not your left hand know what your right hand does. Do not parade your giving, nor think too highly of yourself because God has dealt to you a larger portion than to another. What do you have that you did not receive? If it is His gift, where is your boasting? Only this use remains: that by faithful distribution you might make friends for yourselves with the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Then indeed your treasure is in heaven, and your heart with it. Go, then, and do likewise. Let your wisdom toward those without be this: a life so rich in mercy that even pagans see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

 

[Silas]

The desire you express in your prayer is already a mark of wisdom stirring in your heart. When we ask God for help in handling His gifts in a way that builds His kingdom, we are stepping onto the path where true treasure lies. There is a wisdom that cries out in the streets, not hidden away in the theories of this age, but standing openly before us, and it is this: the fear of the Lord is the beginning. Everything else in how we hold our money, our time, and our talents flows from that simple, profound reverence.

The world constantly offers its own version of wisdom about wealth, and it almost always boils down to holding tighter, building bigger, insulating yourself against tomorrow’s uncertainties. Yet that wisdom is earthly and sensual; it leads to envy, striving, and a cramped, anxious heart. It will come to nothing. God’s wisdom is entirely different. It is purer, peaceable, and it sees a field with a hidden treasure, worth everything we have to obtain. That treasure is the kingdom of heaven itself, a reality of light and life that far surpasses any balance sheet.

I understand the tension you feel. You are right to provide for your household; the Scriptures are clear that anyone who does not care for his own has denied the faith. But the wisdom from above also teaches us to distinguish between mere earthly provision and the lasting investment of the kingdom. Jesus said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be. True understanding helps us look at what we have left over, and then look further out at the needs He sends our way, and see a direct call to lay up treasure in heaven, where no decay or theft can reach.

This does not require living in dread or giving away what is needed for daily bread. The same wisdom that founded the earth and established the heavens is available to guide your specific decisions. When you get wisdom, when you pursue it as the principal thing, you find that prudence and insight come alongside. You will know when to meet a pressing need, and how to hold your resources loosely, as one who is simply a steward. The aim is not a formula but a heart set on the kingdom, where Christ Himself is our supreme treasure, above even family ties if they should pull us toward the darkness of worldly security.

So continue to ask. Let wisdom pour out her spirit upon you. She will teach you to weigh every purchase, every gift, every opportunity against the eternal joy of seeing righteousness shine forth in the kingdom of the Father. The kingdom we seek is not a fading earthly dominion; it is an everlasting kingdom, promised to the saints who follow the King. Use what He places in your hands with a free and joyful abandon, confident that the One who did not spare His own Son will supply every need, and that the only riches we take with us are the ones we send on ahead.